Best Laid Schemes
Best Laid Schemes is the 59th episode of Sudrian Conflict. It is the fifth episode of Season 4b. Summary The episode begins in 1968 with Sam Ruffey walking through the woods alone. After the intro plays, the episode flashes back several decades, presumably in the 1920s to 1930s. Sam Ruffey is at the workshop where his repair company, S.C.Ruffey and Co., is based. He is having difficulties repairing a tractor motor when Roger Abbey enters and offers him lunch. Roger asks Sam if he has gotten any updates regarding the contract he was trying to get with Sir Topham Hatt, but Sam explains that Hatt has union workers from the mainland instead. Roger then questions where Nigel Rickety is. Sam is still confused as to why Roger hired Nigel, but Roger insists that Nigel will prove himself eventually. Roger then inspects the tractor engine and determines that several parts need replacing. Nigel then walks in and lies that he has eaten lunch, which Roger sees through. Sam realizes that Roger gave Nigel money and that Nigel spent it on alcohol instead of food, perturbing Sam. Nigel then inspects the tractor engine and is able to repair it with ease, much to Sam's frustration. The episode then flashes forward to Sam walking past a billboard for Abbey Repair and looking at it resentfully. Cutting to the past again, Nigel continues to outdo Sam in nearly every regard, to the point that the company name is changed to "Abbey-Ruffey-Rickety Repair Co." The company is flourishing, however, and Sam suggests that the three of them go out to celebrate. Roger and Nigel decline, however, and Sam goes out on his own. He takes a train to Norramby Inn, where he finds Sir Topham Hatt, who commissions Ruffey and co. to build him a track inspection vehicle using blueprints provided by Hatt. Roger is upset that Sam took on another project without his approval, but nonetheless the three mechanics set to work. They build the vehicle from scratch and christen it Winston. Late one night, when Roger is gone, Sam suggests to Nigel that they fire Roger and continue to run the company on their own. Sam asks Nigel to stay quiet about this. Flashing forward to 1968, Sam enters the Mid-Sodor quarry undetected and finds a stick of dynamite, which he decides to use to exact his revenge against Phil Aardman for finding another ballast source, the quarry, thus causing Sam's company to go out of business. Flashing back to the past, once Winston has had the finishing touches put on him, Roger reveals that Nigel told him about Sam's plan to cut him. Roger is livid and tries to fire Sam, but because Sam is the owner of the company, he makes Roger leave with Nigel instead. Sam walks to the station to calm himself down, where he speaks to a man who the audience knows to be Rudolph Diesel. Diesel sympathises with Sam and informs him of a ballast corporation on the mainland that just ripped itself apart due to a feud between its owners. He says that the company is practically free for the taking, giving Sam an idea. Later, Roger and Nigel are showing Winston to Sir Topham Hatt. Hatt accidentally releases the parking brake without getting inside, however. Winston rolls out onto a set of points, where he is hit by Gordon and completely destroyed. Sam successfully buys out the ballast corporation and builds a truck to help him haul the ballast, which he names S.C.Ruffey. Meanwhile, Roger fires Nigel, who visits Sam. Nigel builds a ballast truck for Sam and names him Rickety. After this, Nigel leaves for the Skarloey Railway mine, where we first saw him in Season 3. Flashing back to 1968 again, Sam takes the stick of dynamite to the entrance of the mine and ignites it. He continues to clutch the stick of dynamite until it explodes, killing him and destroying the same quarry that replaced him. Characters *Sam C. Ruffey (death) *Roger Abbey *Nigel Rickety *Rudolph Diesel (not named) *Sir Topham Hatt *Gordon (does not speak) *Winston (does not speak, death) *S.C.Ruffey (cameo) *Rickety (cameo')'' *Thomas (cameo) *Edward (cameo) *James (cameo) *Ryan's coaches '' (cameo, death)'' Trivia *This is one of the few episodes in which none of the railway characters have speaking roles. Category:Episodes Category:Season 4